(Gilbert R. Boucher II / AP)

An unsolved physics mystery: The ripples in icicles

It’s what’s in the water, says one scientist, who’s testing his theory in an automatic icicle maker.

Pushing 80 as an aging heartthrob, singer and actor

Kris Kristofferson, who just won a Grammy lifetime achievement award, finds life is just fine.

Would my mom’s ‘crazy’ be mine, too?

A mentally ill mother, a cousin’s suicide, relatives with depression: A young woman finds a way to healthy.

More Health and Science news

FDA unveils anti-smoking campaign targeting teens

FDA unveils anti-smoking campaign targeting teens

The national effort is aimed at preventing 12-to-17-year-olds from becoming “replacement customers.”

New rule lets patients get test results directly from labs

New rule lets patients get test results directly from labs

The Obama administration said the new rule lets patients bypass their doctors to get results themselves.

A 1953 case of brain surgery sheds new light on memory

A 1953 case of brain surgery sheds new light on memory

Patient H.M. couldn’t make new memories. A new study forces experts to rethink why.

Gossip may actually be good for you — and society

Gossip may actually be good for you — and society

A study suggests that gossip and ostracism promote more-cooperative behavior in groups.

Forecast for Luhman: Cloudy, chance of molten iron rain

Forecast for Luhman: Cloudy, chance of molten iron rain

“Brown dwarf” planet-star yields data allowing scientists to make a model of the weather conditions.

Up to 988 million birds die annually in window collisions

<b>Up to 988 million birds die annually in window collisions</b>

The biggest share comes not from skyscrapers, but from crashes into smaller buildings.

Pressure is on Kerry as Keystone pipeline decision nears

Pressure is on Kerry as Keystone pipeline decision nears

Anti-Keystone vigils will be held across the country, while supporters say it’s time to get on with it.

Need to schedule a doctor’s appointment? Get ready to wait.

Need to schedule a doctor’s appointment? Get ready to wait.

Boston has the worst wait, but it may take you 32 days to see a cardiologist in Washington.

Multimedia

JACKSON, KY - JANUARY, 22: Dr. Derrick Hamilton listens to Breathitt County resident Mary Blair's heartbeat during her appointment at the Breathitt County Family Health Center on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 in Jackson, Ky. Despite suffering from a past heart attack and diabetes Blair was able to receive medical coverage through Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.  (Photo by Luke Sharrett/For The Washington Post)  Obamacare Affordable Care Act Healthcare Breathitt County

Ky. clinic offers glimpse into health-care law

The Affordable Care Act took effect Jan.1. Soon after, the newly insured in Kentucky’s rural Breathitt County started trickling in.

Post Health & Science on Twitter

Other news

Delaying chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery is risky

HEquick0204

Researchers find that waiting too long to start the therapy increased mortality risk substantially.

Doctors tend to be wary of supplements

HECUhealth0204

The benefits of supplements are uncertain, and few well-controlled studies support their use.

Think you can multitask? In fact, it’s a rare skill.

HEscan0204

Pscyhology Today looks at a rare group who really can do it. Also: An HBO special on Darwin.

A surgeon balks at rule about preoperative fasting

HEhescan0204

What’s wrong with having a hard candy six hours before surgery? Also: Book looks at sexuality and dementia.

Poor posture when sitting hampers health and productivity

Diners sitting outside Caravan, in London, U.K., on June 2, 2010. The casual eatery serves Asian-influenced seasonal food. Source: Caravan via Bloomberg EDITOR'S NOTE: NO SALES. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Researchers are testing the value of a perching position halfway between sitting and standing.

COLUMNS

AnyBODY

Protecting yourself against medical identity theft

HEanybody0204

Be careful about giving out insurance and other health information — especially online.

Are popular green drinks as healthful as you think?

HEanybody0128

Some of them, yes. But others are more a glorified dessert, experts say. Be careful what you put in them.

Smoothie recipe has calcium, protein, vitamins, minerals

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2014 image from video Diane Cordeau poses for a photos on her Kai-Kai farm near Indiantown, Fla. Cordeau picked her squash and tomatoes on Monday to beat the freeze. But she says her leafy vegetables, such as kale, will be sweeter and taste better because of the cold. (AP Photo/Suzette LaBoy)

Ingredients include leafy greens and a banana.

How & Why/EcoLOGIC

How to convince your friends to believe in climate change

In this photo taken  Jan. 19, 2012, smoke rises in this time exposure image from the stacks of the La Cygne Generating Station coal-fired power plant in La Cygne, Kan. This year the nation’s weather has been hotter and more extreme than ever, federal records show. Yet there are two people who aren’t talking about it, and they both happen to be running for president. In 2009, President Barack Obama proposed a bill that would have capped power plant carbon dioxide emissions and allowed trading of credits for the right to emit greenhouse gases, but the measure died in Congress. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, Filr)

Never mind the eye-rolling. First, frame it as a management issue. Then try scare tactics.

Unlocking the secrets of amber

HANDOUT PHOTO:   Peter Vransky of the Slovak Academy of Sciences unearthed these amber-entombed cockroaches in modern-day Lebanon. His research, published late last year, explored the prehistoric roach's role in cleaning up dinosaur droppings. (Courtesy of Peter Vrsansky/ geological institute slovak academy of sciences)

How do living things become encased in these golden tombs? Can they be revived?

Is Rainbow Loom harmful to the environment?

This photo provided by courtesy of Choon's Design shows Rainbow Loom bracelets. In a market glutted with craft products marketed specifically to girls, Rainbow Loom is a rare gender-neutral craft kit, helping boys develop fine motor skills and longer attention spans while they create gifts to share with friends and family. (AP Photo/Choon's Design)

Those little synthetic rubber bands, if not discarded properly, can hurt small animals.

Urban Jungle

The cardinal and the tuliptree

The cardinal and the tuliptree

As winter advances, choice foods become scarce and eating grows riskier and less efficient.

Medical Mysteries

Decoding medical mysteries

Owen Freeman

What makes a good case for The Post’s Medical Mysteries column?

Intractable depression — or something else?

HEMedMysteries1224

Drugs and shock treatments failed to treat a woman’s worsening mental illness.

A wasting-away mystery

MedMysteries 1119

Why did a 14-year-old girl develop sudden weakness and apparent anorexia?

Read more Medical Mysteries

Health, Science & Environment Videos

Obamacare's silver lining?

Obamacare's silver lining?

For all of the issues surrounding the rollout of the President's signature health care law, one part seems to be working pretty well—the expansion of Medicaid. Close to 400,000 Americas have learned they are now eligible to enroll, but some states haven't embraced the expansion.
Can a November surge help Obamacare?

Can a November surge help Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act saw a surge in the month of November with 173,000 people signing up in their state-run marketplaces. But will young people sign up in the numbers needed to support the program?
Three Obamacare fixes explained

Three Obamacare fixes explained

Wonkblog’s Sarah Kliff breaks down three proposals that would help Obama make good on his promise.
Obamacare’s uniting number

Obamacare’s uniting number

Do Americans think the government can recover from Obamacare's disastrous rollout, or is it too late?
Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains how Obamacare is changing after many insurance policies were canceled, and how the president plans to un-cancel some of them.
Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why a lot of people's health insurance policies might get cancelled.
Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff walks through the three main problems bogging down the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace.
Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff shares her "Kliff Notes" for President Obama's remarks defending his signature health care law.
Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are different from state to state.
Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains the exceptions to the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.